Content
Kufea (lat. Cuphea) is a numerous genus of herbaceous plants of the Derbennikov family. The birthplace of the culture is Latin America. Kufeya is valued for its decorativeness and long flowering, which begins in late spring and continues until autumn frosts. Therefore, many gardeners prefer to grow it along with other common annuals, such as petunia, lobelia, marigolds, and zinnia. Planting and caring for kufeya does not cause any particular difficulties, but it is worth taking into account the basic requirements of the culture in order to achieve maximum decorativeness of the plant.
The popular name for kufei is “cigarette tree” because of the shape of the flowers.
Description of kufei with photo
Kufeya is a shrub-type plant, the height of which reaches 40-100 cm. It grows in diameter by 40-60 cm. Shoots can be creeping, straight, drooping, depending on the species. The stems have a characteristic stickiness, which is typical for kufei. The surface of the shoots can be smooth or pubescent. They have opposite small leaves of a light green hue with short petioles.They have an oval shape and a pointed tip.
According to the description of the plant, kufei bushes grow quickly. Therefore, it is recommended to regularly trim, pinch and shape them to maintain the high decorativeness of the plant. The root system is fibrous, superficial.
Kufei bush flowers are bell-shaped or tubular, consisting of six petals. Their length rarely exceeds 3.5 cm. The upper two of them are much larger than the rest. Despite the fact that kufei flowers are relatively small, this disadvantage is compensated by their quantity. When you see the plant, you get the impression that its branches are literally covered with buds. Their colors are varied. It can be pink, purple, white, lilac, yellow, reddish. After the flowers are pollinated, curved fruits appear on the plant, in which dark brown small seeds ripen.
The genus Kufei has both perennial and annual species
Why is kufeya useful?
Scientific studies have shown that all types of kufei have cytotoxic, antioxidant, antitumor, and immunomodulatory properties. The plant also works well as an antiseptic and detoxifier. Kufeya has been used for a long time to treat urinary tract diseases. It is believed to help with prostate enlargement, bladder inflammation and kidney stones. The culture also makes you feel better with rheumatic pain.
The chemical composition of kufei includes a component that helps remove excess uric acid from the body. It is also characterized by a mild sedative effect. Therefore, the plant helps improve sleep quality and fight insomnia.
Other beneficial properties of kufei:
- reduces the level of harmful cholesterol in the blood and triglycerides;
- helps with colds and chills;
- has a diuretic effect;
- normalizes blood pressure;
- treats arthritis, gout;
- improves the functioning of the digestive system.
The culture is an excellent honey plant
Types and varieties
There are about 270 species of kufei in nature. Among them there are those that can only develop at home, as well as less demanding ones that can be planted in open ground for the summer. Therefore, in order not to make a mistake with your choice, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the plant species that have gained wide popularity among gardeners and studying their characteristics.
Kufeya prostrate
A rare annual crop species. Prostrate cuphea (Cuphea procumbens) reaches a height of half a meter. Its shoots are highly branched, lodging type. Kufeya prostrata can be planted in open ground and used for planting in hanging pots or baskets.
This species begins to bloom from late June or mid-July, depending on the planting method. The shade of the buds of the prostrate kufei is bright, lilac-lilac. Flowering duration is at least three months.
Prostrate kufeya is also called creeping
Kufeya fiery red
This perennial species of kufei is heat-loving, so it is recommended to grow it only as a houseplant. However, in summer, the fiery red (Cuphea ignea) species can be kept on the balcony, which guarantees abundant flowering. The height of the bush does not exceed 40 cm. The stems of fiery red kufei are flexible and do not become woody. The leaves are dark green, narrow, 6 cm long.
A distinctive feature of this species are tubular flowers of a red hue with bent black-purple edges of the petals, trimmed with a white edging. In appearance they look like a smoldering cigarette. The flowering period of the species begins in mid-summer and continues until late autumn.
Fiery red kufei has compact bushes
Kufeya issopolis
An annual hardy crop that is ideal for growing in open ground. Cuphe hyssopifolia is little susceptible to temperature changes, and it also withstands gusts of wind and remains decorative. The species is distinguished by abundant flowering, its buds are small, bell-shaped, of a rich pink hue. The plant prefers well-lit places and is easily propagated by cuttings.
Kufei issopolis has increased watering requirements
Kufeya lanceolate
This type of culture is characterized by large lush bushes, the height of which reaches 90-100 cm. The flower of this garden kufei is tubular-type, narrow, and has a bright purple hue. The shoots are heavily pubescent, they are covered with dark red fibers, soft to the touch. The buds of kufei lanceolata begin to appear en masse on the plant in mid-summer. Their length reaches 3 cm. The buds are collected in rare one-sided spike-shaped inflorescences. The leaves of cuphe lanceolata are dark green with short petioles. The flowering period of this species is more than 100 days.
Kufeya lanceolata is best propagated by seeds.
Planting kufei in open ground
It is recommended to plant annual kufa in open ground when the threat of return frosts has passed and the soil has warmed to a depth of 10 cm. The optimal period is mid-to-late May. For kufei, you need to choose sunny areas with light shade during the midday hours. It is important that the soil is loose, nutritious, rich in organic matter and slightly acidic.
To plant, you need to prepare a bed, level its surface well and water it abundantly. After this, it is necessary to plant the kufei seedlings at a distance of 20 cm so that they do not compete with each other for moisture and nutrition. When carrying out the procedure, there is no need to bury the plants; their root collar should be located at soil level. After planting, water the kufeya well and cover it with agrofibre for several days, which will speed up its adaptation to new conditions.
How to care for kufeya
Caring for kufeya in open ground is not difficult. To do this, it is enough to follow simple rules of agricultural technology.
Kufeya belongs to the category of crops that do not tolerate drought well and also do not tolerate excess moisture in the soil. Therefore, it is necessary to water it in doses as the top layer of soil dries. To do this, you can use settled water at a temperature of +20-22 °C. The recommended frequency of watering for kufei is 1-2 times a week.
After each moistening, it is necessary to loosen the soil around the bushes to maintain air access to the roots. During particularly hot periods, it is recommended to wash the leaves of garden kufei from a watering can in the evening to wash off dust from them.
This plant needs good nutrition.Therefore, kufeya needs to be fed every two weeks throughout the growing season. At the beginning of growth, the plant can be fertilized with nitroammophos at the rate of 30 g per 10 liters of water, and at the stage of budding and flowering, use Kemira Lux, according to the instructions. Kufeya needs regular pinching of shoots. This stimulates the growth of lateral stems and promotes the formation of buds in large numbers.
Also, throughout the summer, it is recommended to remove damaged and broken shoots, which reduce the decorativeness of the plant.
With the arrival of autumn, perennial kufa must be transplanted into pots for successful wintering. During this period, it needs to be kept cool no higher than +10 °C in moderate lighting.
The plant rarely needs to be watered in winter.
Reproduction methods
Kufeya propagates well by seeds and cuttings. But, since the first method is quite lengthy and labor-intensive, flower growers most often use the second. To do this, during the period of active growth of shoots, it is necessary to cut their tops to a length of 5-6 cm. Then you need to clear them from the bottom of the leaves and plant them in a moist soil mixture consisting of peat, sand and perlite in a ratio of 2:1:1.
To successfully root kufei cuttings, they must be covered with a bag and placed on a well-lit windowsill. They need to be watered periodically. If all conditions are met, roots of kufei cuttings will form within three weeks. When the seedlings are well established, they can be transplanted into open ground.
When propagating kufei by seeds, it is necessary to sow in December. To do this, you need to prepare containers with drainage holes, no more than 10 cm deep.At the bottom of them you need to pour a layer of expanded clay 1 cm thick, and fill the rest of the container space with nutritious soil consisting of turf, sand, peat and perlite in a ratio of 2:1:2:1.
Before sowing, water the soil generously and level its surface. Then you need to spread out the seeds and, without covering them with soil, lightly press them into the ground. After this, it is necessary to cover the container with glass and provide 12 hours of daylight, as well as a temperature of at least +22 °C. When the seedlings develop two true leaves, they need to be planted in separate cups.
Kufei grown from seeds can be planted in open ground when the plants are well established and the weather is warm.
Diseases and pests
This culture has high natural immunity. This greatly simplifies the care of kufeya issopolista, as well as its other species. However, the plant can die from rotting of the root system due to heavy watering. Therefore, when growing kufeya in open ground, it is necessary to moisten it only after the top layer of soil has dried to a depth of 1-1.5 cm.
The plant can be bothered by pests - slugs, aphids, thrips. In the first case, it is necessary to scatter special preparations based on metaldehyde around the bushes, and in the second and third cases, spray them with Fitoverm or Fufanon.
During drought, kufeya drops flowers
Application in landscape design
This plant is excellent for planting in low flower beds, ridges, mixborders and rock gardens.
Low-growing types of crops can be used in the foreground or planted along paths
Tall kufeya is recommended to be grown as a tapeworm against the background of a lawn or used as a background for other garden crops
Conclusion
Planting and caring for kufei requires compliance with certain rules. The rate of development of the plant in open ground and the abundance of its flowering depend on how well they are observed. Therefore, kufeya is not suitable for gardeners who only occasionally visit the dacha, since it requires sufficient attention to itself.
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